Hell on Earth
by Edan Marie
Summary: The Doctor and Donna just wanted a break, a chance to relax. What they got was hell on Earth.
1. Chapter 1

Hell on Earth

AN: Sorry if the humour is a little rusty, it's always been my weak spot in writing. After chapter two, it's unlikely that I'll be updating very often. This is simply something I wrote with no real plot in mind, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

"Oi, spaceboy! You mind telling me what just happened?" At the sound of the redhead's familiar snarl, the Doctor grinned. He wheeled round to face Donna, pinstriped suit whirling rather magnificently as a result of the spin. The effect was only spoiled when a rush of dizziness hit the Doctor and he fell flat on his face. Donna sighed, clearly unimpressed.

"Donna, I've told you repeatedly that the vortex is unpredictable. Think of it as a- as a- not a fixed object. It's always moving. It's more like jelly, like a big ball of-"

"Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff. I know!" The Doctor looked hurt at being cut off, but Donna wasn't finished.

"But that doesn't explain the planet of Zac Efron and Orlando Bloom lookalikes singing remixed versions of Katy Perry before deciding that all the redheads in the world need to be exterminated!" The Doctor winced as he rose unsteadily to his feet, gripping one of the TARDIS controls for support. Maybe he was getting too old for this.

"The vortex is constantly fluctuating, constantly changing. External forces only disturb the vortex, which is why I _told_ you not to use the TARDIS as a charger for your iPod!" Donna looked insulted, striding up to the Doctor and prodding him sharply in the chest.

"Are you accusing me of breaking the vortex?" Underneath her rage, the Doctor detected a trace of pride in Donna's voice. As if breaking the vortex was an achievement!

"Not exactly. You... you sort of scratched the surface-" The Doctor was fumbling to find the right words to say, but Donna was too impatient for him to finish.

"Tear a hole in the sky and the whole universe falls through. Mum always told me that." Donna interrupted smugly. The Doctor simply looked exasperated, shaking his head as though Donna was an unruly student.

"Not only is that not my point; it's also completely impossible. For a hole in the sky to be strong enough to pull the entire universe through, it would have to be a black hole of immeasurable strength! You'd also have to calculate which angle would be best to capture the entire universe, and that's only taking into consideration the unlikely chance that your black hole is facing the right direction! Never mind the fact that several civilizations have managed to develop the technology to escape black holes-"

The Doctor was abruptly cut off by a sharp ringing sound behind him. He spun round in a confused circle, only just managing to stay on his feet this time as Donna strode calmly over to the device from which the sound was coming.

"That'll be my curry." She explained to the Doctor, who briefly perked up at the mention of food. He bounded over to where Donna now stood, quickly recognizing the ringing box beside her as some form of microwave.

"I'll never be able to comprehend you Brits and your obsession with Indian food." As he spoke, the Doctor reached over Donna's shoulder to steal a large handful of curry. He ignored Donna's protestations, barely even noticing the food's heat burning his hand as he eagerly tipped it into his mouth. His reaction was immediate. The second the curry made contact with his tongue he was spluttering, earnestly coughing and spitting the stuff as far away from him as he could.

"Mother of- what to do you _put_ in that stuff? Blimey, I've fought Slitheen whose farts tasted better than that!" The Doctor was only halfway coherent as he spoke, fanning his mouth and fixing the mess of curry on the floor with an expression of utter loathing. Clearly, the curry had become a bigger enemy to the Doctor than even the Daleks.

And then the Doctor grinned. His entire face lit up, the curry fiasco all but forgotten as an excited gleam shone in his dark eyes.

"Where to, Noble?' If Donna was startled by the Doctor's sudden mood change, she didn't show it. Instead she deliberated for a moment, head tilted to the side as she considered. All of space and time... The mind boggled! She didn't even know the names of 99.99% of the planets in the universe. She decided to guess.

"Let's go to... the 53rd Province of... The Mighty Realm of... Tabdoor...ania?" Donna was sure she'd made it up, but the Doctor seemed thrilled by her choice.

"The 53rd Province of The Mighty Realm of Tabdoorania? I haven't been there in _years_! _Lovely_ place, food to die for. And the natives! The nicest people imaginable! They threw me a party simply for arriving! It's not the biggest tourist destination in the universe, but it is by far the nicest! Excellent choice, Donna!" The Doctor hammered on controls as he spoke, smashing down on buttons, swinging levers and setting their destination with great gusto. A second later, a familiar rumbling sound began as the TARDIS took off.

And for the first time since Donna could remember, nothing interrupted them. There were no shrieking alarms for help, no charging attackers, no crash landings. It would have been almost unnerving, had Donna not been so relieved to finally catch a break from saving the world. The thrill of fighting alien foes, of saving countless numbers of lives, was exhilarating. But Donna was only human, and sometimes she just needed a break. A chance to relax and eat her curry in peace and quiet.

"The eagle has landed!" The Doctor cried in delight when, after several minutes, a soft rasping sound signalled the end of the TARDIS' journey. Donna jumped up, leaving her empty curry bowl on her seat as the Doctor all but ran to the doors. Donna followed him a little more calmly, but couldn't deny her own excitement.

"Donna, get ready to meet the nicest people in the world!" With a flourish, the Doctor swung the old doors open and they both stepped out.

Straight into the path of the furious white-haired spirit rushing towards them.

AN: And that's the end of chapter one! I hope you enjoyed it; reviews would be greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Chapter two! Worked out who the evil spirit is yet? If not, you're about to find out. Please review, all comments are welcome! Hopefully this chapter will be a little longer than the first one. There's less humour from now on, so let's hope my writing's better!

The Doctor snapped straight into action. With one hand, he shoved Donna several metres to the side, using his other hand to reach into his pocket and find the sonic screwdriver. His nimble fingers found the right switch in seconds, and a moment later a sinister green glow began to radiate from the device as the Doctor aimed it at the spirit.

A split second before the screwdriver could work however, the 'spirit' crashed straight into the Doctor with all the force of a ton of bricks. They both fell to the ground, a tangle of limbs as they struggled to right themselves. Donna leaned over and grabbed a tuft of pale hair, yanking the attacker back so the Doctor could stand. As the Doctor did so, a mess of loose paper sheets tumbled to the ground.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't- I don't know what I was thinking, I just-" The 'attacker' turned out to be a young teenage boy, probably no more than seventeen. His wide eyes were a deep blue colour, his waves of snowy white hair tumbling down his shoulders and softening his sharp features. Donna guiltily released him, and he fell to the Doctor's feet, scrambling to pick up his papers. Amongst the pages of hastily scrawled writing, Donna spotted a drawing. A haunting pair of deep brown eyes, both malevolent and childlike. And so, so sad. They could have been the Doctor's eyes, were it not for the unmistakably evil glint.

"You an artist?" The boy jumped at Donna's question, clutching the drawing to his chest as he drew panicked breaths. He looked on the verge of a break-down, and the Doctor seemed to sense this, crouching so he could meet the boy's eyes.

"Hey, hey. Calm down. No lasting damage done, except maybe to my pride. But I've always had a bit too much of that anyway. There's no need to apologize." The Doctor murmured, and the boy nodded. His breaths were still shallow though, and the Doctor shot Donna an annoyed look. She shrugged in silent protest, gesticulating wildly as she mouthed her outrage. The Doctor looked back at the boy, gently helping him to his feet. When they both stood, the Doctor offered the boy a friendly smile.

"Where were you in such a rush to, anyway?" He asked him curiously, and the boy's eyes widened in confusion. He stammered incoherently as he looked through his papers. They gave him no answer though, and the boy looked questioningly at the Doctor. It was only then that the Doctor noticed the wildness of the boy's eyes, the shadows under them indicating how little sleep he had been getting. His behaviour was erratic, his movements sharp. The Doctor tried a different approach.

"I don't suppose you could tell us where we are? Judging from the street signs, I'd say either Japan or Rigidomania. Big galaxy though, Rigidomania, and at least fifty planets in it speak Japanese. Or at least they will, in 3150. What year is it here? I can never tell, I really need-"

"School!" The boy interrupted the Doctor's rambling, eyes brightening momentarily as he remembered.

"I'm late for school!" He sounded anxious, and he started to hurry past the TARDIS. The Doctor caught his shoulder though, and he stopped, arms raised instantly to defend himself. When he saw the Doctor wasn't going to attack, he hesitantly lowered his arms. Donna was bewildered. What on Earth had happened to this boy to leave him so on edge?

"What's your name?" The Doctor asked. The boy looked unsure, shifting uncomfortably where he stood.

"Ryou." He answered eventually, and the Doctor stiffened.

"Ryou?" His tone was guarded, not giving anything away. Donna could tell from his posture though that something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"Ryou Bakura. Sorry, I really have to go to school now." With that, Ryou broke into a jog. The Doctor still wasn't moving, and Donna tugged anxiously on his arm.

"What's wrong, spaceboy?' She disguised her worry with a teasing tone, but even her old nickname for the Doctor failed to get a positive reaction.

"This is definitely Japan. And we definitely need to stop Ryou from getting to school today!" The Doctor broke into a sprint before Donna could ask him what he meant, wiry arms pumping as he rapidly caught up with Ryou. Ryou however, sensing he had a follower, changed his jog to a run without a second's thought. He was surprisingly fast, but the Doctor was used to running.

Donna watched as the two figures quickly became tinier as they grew further away, and she wondered whether or not she ought to follow them But wouldn't the Doctor want her to guard the TARDIS? She reached for the door handle, but the TARDIS seemed to have locked automatically. Pleased that her problem seemed to have been solved, Donna prepared to run.

And then she saw it. A small sheet of paper, slightly tattered around the edges. It didn't look like a piece of litter though; more like one of Ryou's many pages. Donna bent to retrieve it and, before she could help herself, began to read.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was struggling to keep up with Ryou. The Doctor may have had 900 years of running experience on his side, but Ryou had his youth. Despite the Doctor's agile body frame, he was still an old man. Even two hearts couldn't keep the Doctor sprinting for long.

"Ryou! Ryou, you have to listen to me! You can't go to school today!" The Doctor settled for the loudest yell he could muster, but Ryou ignored him. The Doctor narrowed his eyes. It never boded well for people who chose to ignore the Doctor.

"Ryou, you need to trust me!" The Doctor was yelling himself hoarse, and Ryou risked a glance back towards the Doctor. The glance cost him his escape, his foot catching on a discarded car tyre close to the entrance of an alleyway. He fell to the ground with a cry of alarm, and the Doctor took advantage of Ryou's stop to race towards him.

And then the world ended.

Or that's how it felt, anyway. The ground shuddered under the Doctor's feet, the clouds above his head turning an ominous black as a fierce rumble shook the Earth. All the Doctor had time to process was the animal terror in Ryou's eyes before lightning split the sky and struck the ground between them. The Doctor watched, horrified, as the crack in the ground quickly turned into a gaping black pit, the split continuing down the entire street and sending a wave of cars and people plummeting down to certain death. Their screams filled the air, drowning out the unearthly groans and rumbles of the planet splitting itself open.

"Stop it! I didn't want you to do this, stop it!" Ryou's eyes were unfocused as he stared at the Doctor, his raw screams pleading and utterly terrified. The Doctor stood motionless though, unable to properly comprehend the level of destruction around him. It was all happening too soon, too fast.

The hand appeared first. Rising out of the cavern the street had once been, the smoky black shape was at least twice the size of the Doctor, and was armed with five razor-sharp claws. The Doctor quickly remembered the sonic screwdriver still clenched in his fist, aiming it at the monster's hand as a soft green ray of energy burst from the tip. The effect was simply that of angering the beast. The hand swiped blindly at the Doctor, missing him by inches. He darted closer to the hole, fiddling with the sonic screwdriver until an ear-piercing screech drowned out even the sounds of the dying. The Doctor grinned with satisfaction, and moments later a low groan of pain came from within the pit.

"Result!" The Doctor crowed triumphantly, a split second before the sonic screwdriver fell silent. The Doctor frowned. Rattled the device hopefully. No such luck. It stayed silent, and the Doctor lost his smile as a warning growl filled the air. For several seconds, there was silence.

"Doctor!" The Doctor turned to face Donna, the warning still on his lips as the ground beneath Donna's feet exploded. Donna was thrown into the air, still clutching a piece of paper, with eyes wide with shock as they found the Doctor's horrified expression. Then her eyes fell to the ground, and she began gesturing desperately to the Doctor. He started to run, ready to catch Donna- until he understood her gestures. She didn't want him to save her. No, she'd been pointing to the TARDIS...

"No! No, no, no, no, no! You can't do that, it's-" The Doctor fell silent, his protests cut short. The huge black hand had closed around the TARDIS, fingers tightening to crush the aging police box. At the sound of the Doctor's pleas, the monster hesitated. The Doctor waited for it to release the TARDIS, to sink back into the ground. But instead the hand began to rise. The TARDIS was lifted clean off the ground, hanging aloft for what felt like forever to the Doctor.

Then, slowly, the hand descended, back into the depths of the Earth. The Doctor sprinted before he knew what he was doing, despite knowing he was far too late. The TARDIS was gone. The Doctor stood for a moment, aghast. What was he going to do? He couldn't travel, couldn't save all those who needed his help, couldn't return Donna to her family-

Donna! The Doctor snapped his head skywards, eyes scanning the heavens for any trace of her fiery red hair. When he finally found her, she was lying spread-eagled across the sky, seemingly suspended. Donna's eyes were fixed on something behind the Doctor, and as he turned, he knew already what he would see.

Ryou. His eyes were fully focused on Donna; the soft words muttered under his breath the only thing stopping Donna from falling to her death. The Doctor shook his head sadly.

"Oh, Ryou. What have you done?"

AN: Chapter two is over! Sorry if things seemed a little rushed, I'm unused to writing chase or action scenes. I know I said in Chapter 1 that there wouldn't be many updates after this, but hopefully that'll change. I've been listening to Chameleon Circuit's latest album Still Got Legs as I've written this, and now my head is filled with new ideas for this fic! Hopefully Chapter 3 will be up at some point soon.


	3. INFORMATION ON CHAPTER UPDATES

I know these kinds of updates are considered very rude to readers, who are expecting a new chapter rather than an announcement, but rest assured, chapter updates are imminent! Just not on this site. I'm currently in the process of moving all of my fanfics to Archive Of Our Own, under the username edan_marie, and all of them are undergoing edits and rewrites. Because of this, any and all chapter updates to this fic will be on AO3. (And I promise, I'll try and have more regular updates on that site!)


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